State Department Urges Citizens to Defer All Travel to Crimea, East Ukraine

The United States urges its citizens to avoid any travel to Crimea and eastern Ukraine and calls on those who remain in the region to leave, the US State Department said in a press release.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — “The Department of State warns US citizens to defer all travel to Crimea and the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, and recommends those US citizens currently living in or visiting these regions to depart,” the release said on Monday.

The State Department explained that the warning is issued because of security concerns, and replaces the one from July 16.

The Federal Aviation Administration’s ban on US civil aviation to fly to Simferopol and Dnepropetrovsk flight information regions remains in place, the release added.

The State Department also warned US citizens to stay away from crowded places, and not to go outdoors during protests.

Although US embassy in Kiev provides regular public services, it restricted the travel of US government personnel to Donetsk and Lugansk regions as well as Crimea, and occasionally limits travel to adjacent regions.

In March 2014, Crimea seceded from Ukraine and rejoined Russia after it held a popular referendum in which more than 96 percent of voters supported the move. The southeastern Lugansk and Donetsk People's Republics declared independence from Ukraine in May 2014.